Superted up for 21st century makeover.
We at Skwigly have been busy reporting lately about various reboots of classic animation series. Bananaman, Morph, Danger Mouse, The Wombles, Thunderbirds and The Clangers are all in various stages of revival at the moment. Today news reaches us that another 80’s classic can be added to the list 32 years since it was originally broadcast as it has been announced that Superted is to receive a 21st century make-over. Original creator Mike Young plans to produce 26, half-hour long new episodes, with a British TV broadcast date expected in two years’ time, if all goes to plan.
For the uninitiated, Superted relates the adventures of a normal teddy-bear, rescued from the cast-off bin of a factory by an alien, Spotty-man. Brought to life by Spotty’s magic-dust, he was entrusted with Super-powers by Mother Nature. All he has to do is utter his secret, magic-word to transform into Superted, furry caped-crusader and all-round Super…Ted…Superted and Spotty spend their days monitoring Earth from their Earth-based tree-house HQ or orbiting space-station and when called upon, blast into action, usually to spoil the dastardly plans of recurring villains, the gun-slinging “Texas Pete” and his sidekicks, the incredibly camp “Skeleton” and overweight and slightly dim “Bulk”.
Superted was voiced by 80’s kids TV favourite Derek Griffiths and Spotty by ex-Doctor Who and Worzel Gummidge star, Jon Pertwee. The recurring villains were all voiced by stalwarts of the 80’s British comedy scene, Texas Pete, Skelton and Bulk were voiced by Victor Spinetti, Melvyn Hayes and Roy Kinnear respectively. Hayes is the only surviving member of the original cast, so it will be interesting to see how Young approaches the new series. Will he recast? Or introduce a new cast of characters?
Superted was one of the first programmes shown during the launch of the Welsh-language channel S4C in 1982, before being broadcast on BBC One a year later. Although the show was not based in Wales, Young was incredibly proud of the fact that it was produced in his home country. Looking back, it can definitely be considered as the catalyst for the launch of the Welsh animation industry. Growing up as a kid in Wales in the early 80s, I always felt incredibly proud of the fact that Superted was created and produced in Wales. Young formed “Siriol Productions” to produce the show himself and looking at the IMDB page for the show, it reads as a who’s who of Welsh animation talent. Between 1982 and 1985, three series were made, totalling 36 episodes and has been broadcast and dubbed in over 50 countries around the World, including India and Africa. Siriol went on to become a multi-award winning Animation production house before re-branding itself as “Calon Productions” in the early noughties and Young has been living and working in America for the last twenty-five years after parting company with the studio and forming “Mike Young Productions” an incredibly successful animation production company whose credits include the reboot of He-Man and The Masters of the Universe. Young eventually sold the rights to the Superted character in 1989 to Abbey Home Media who are currently overseeing and distributing the rebooted series.
I have mixed feeling about a Superted reboot as it was such a large influence on my childhood. Part of me wants it left alone, but part of me is also quite excited to see Superted and Spotty in flight once again and introduced to a new generation of kids. It will be interesting to see how the story-tellers approach the characters as they were very much “of their time”. Skwigly will keep you posted on any further developments.